Goblin: the Great and Lonely Barista
by MapleCountryBeef
Summary: - GOBLIN AU - Kim Shin is a young entrepreneur, who, along with his sister Kim Seun, is running a successful business after the violent murder of their parents by a mysterious man, years ago. But now, who is that girl Deok Hwa wants to hire? Who is that man with the vulgar hat who keeps showing up? And what's with all these butterflies and sudden rainfall?
1. Chapter 1

The tired-looking woman hurried across the sidewalk, her worn red scarf pulled tightly around her neck and falling past her slightly swollen stomach. Concentrating on the cracked asphalt of the road, she stepped onto the street.

The gently falling snow descended onto the quiet streets, falling past the illuminated neon lights and the heads of late-night shoppers. The twinkling lights that hung from doors and windows were enough to rival the glimmers of the stars above them and keep the inky darkness of the winter night at bay.

The woman hurried across the road, but the screech of tires skidding on ice made her lift her head. All she could do was freeze as two headlights loomed in her visions, and one solitary tear snuck its way out of widened, fearful eyes.

Then the tear froze on her cheek. The speeding car stopped, the woman froze where she stood, and the rest of the world came to halt. The shoppers walking by paused mid-step and the cheerful lights stopped their twinkling and even the snowflakes halted in their flight.

"Humans, these days." A little boy standing safely on the other side of the road sighed, setting down the bag of apples that was in his hand. "Sometimes I worry about what would happen if I wasn't around."

Walking over to the woman in the middle of the road, he gently took her arm and half-pulled the woman to the sidewalk.

He carefully gazed at the woman's face and hummed in concentration. The world slowly came back to life around them and the descending snowflakes rested on the woman's head as she glanced around in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked, bewildered. "I was crossing the road..."

The speeding car raced by them and a blast of wind tugged at the edges of her worn coat. The boy smiled in satisfaction as the car suddenly sputtered to a stop and the driver's confused and irritated shout rang out in the frosty air.

The woman turned around to the boy. "But that car was going to hit me! I was in front of it and it was skidding on the ice!"

"Be careful crossing streets," the boy just said in reply and then handed her an apple. "Here, take this."

He walked away from her, the slight breeze tugging at his snow-sprinkled black curls.

"Oh, by the way," he said, turning towards her again with a smile. "It's a girl."

The woman looked down at her stomach in wonder as the boy vanished into the fog.

(9 Years Later)

It is the same boy now, standing outside a dimly lit store, his face set hard as he stares out at the deserted street. He looks older now, more tired and weary beyond his seventeen years of age. The early morning haze floats by the empty street, the sun too weak to make its presence known.

He turns to go back into the store and the doorbell sounds cheerfully behind him as he steps inside.

It's a simple restaurant, a family owned business. The wood paneled walls are decorated with pictures of trees and flowers; his mother was a photographer and her works were proudly displayed by her husband on the walls. The tiled floor is faded but clean. Behind the counter, the displays are full of sandwiches and various treats. A man is calmly wiping it down now and he pauses once in a while to glance at the clock hanging on the wall.

"What are we going to do, Dad?" the boy addresses the man, who, like his son, looks weary beyond his years.

"Nothing to be done now," the man replies softly. "We'll wait for them to come and we'll explain to them again that we won't sell the store."

His wife walks up to them from the backroom, joined by her young daughter. "We'll be waiting with you, of course."

"No," the boy interjects. "You and Seun should go home. I'll stay here with dad."

"No!" the girl speaks up. "Mom and I are staying too, we won't leave you two."

"Alright, alright," the dad says. "Everyone can stay."

The bell on the door rings out again and they all turn to face it.

"Sorry, we're not open-" the dad starts to say, then stops when he sees the intruder.

"Listen, we're not going to sell to you," the dad says firmly. "You can't force us to."

"Oh, I know," the man says softly, and he runs his tongue over his lips slowly, leaving them glistening with spit underneath the soft light.

The boy stares at the man. They don't even know this man's name, but he has been trying to make them sell their store to him for the last month. If his dad knew the man, he didn't say. His dad had arranged for a meeting in the store to discuss it for the last time.

"We're not going to sell," his dad repeats again, firmly. "This store is our only source of income, without it we won't be able to survive."

"Well, then," the man hisses, and the doorbell chimes again as a couple men step into the store from behind him. "What if you had no family to support?"

The gunshots were loud and unexpected, and the boy could only whirl around fast enough to see his mother fall to the ground with a cry. The scarlet liquid seeping out of her spread on the floor and onto his sister's clothing as she tries to help her mother.

"Call the police!" his dad shouts, and the boy turns away to get the phone.

The second gunshot is quicker than the first, and his dad was bleeding on the floor before the boy's very eyes. The color seems to fade out of his vision, but then he sees crimson as he glares at the man.

"You!" he charges toward the man but is knocked aside as another man raised a gun to his head.

"No," the man says, chuckling softly. "Let him and his sister live. I want them to suffer. You boy, get out of here. Or we'll be back, and you and your sister will end up like your parents."

The last thing the boy hears is the merry tinkling of the bell as the men sweep out the door, the quiet laughter of the man hangs in the air like a putrid stench.

The boy ran over to his father as he lay on the ground, the blood flowing out of his body in a stream.

"Dad, I can save you," the boy cries. "I can freeze time, or I can run after them and I can-"

"No, my son," his father interrupts him, gasping for breath. "If this is my fate, to die here now, I accept it. It is not for you to kill and take revenge." Broken glass from fallen bottles had dug into his face when he fell, and trickles of blood drip to the floor.

"But dad," the boy protests. Snot and tears drip off his face and fall to the floor. "They killed mom, I can't just let them go like this!"

"I'm sorry, son, looks like I'll be leaving you two too," the man sighs, as he wheezes in pain. "Take care of your sister, Kim Shin. Your mom and I will see you again, in another world."

"Dad, no," the boy sobs "I can save you, please don't leave us."

Blue flames crawl over the boy's body and as they spread to the father's body, the wound started closing up.

"No!" the father protests, "You can't heal me. They will think it suspicious if I'm healed like this. If they find out about your power imagine what they will do to you!"

"But, dad," the boy protests "I can't just let you die!"

"You must," the older man replies "Promise me you'll be careful from now on. Promise!"

"I promise," the boy cries, and he keeps crying as the light fades from his father's eyes. All that is left is a cold corpse lying on the floor among broken glass and sticky blood.

The boy sweeps his sister into an embrace as their sobs fill the cold air, only the fireflies flitting about outside are witnesses to their sorrow. A passing white butterfly escaping the early morning drizzle settles on the window sill and flutters its wings.

(The Same Day, Across Town)

A little girl scurried across a crowded living room and picked up her bag and pulled on her shoes. She pulled open the door and was about to run outside when she heard a voice.

"Hey, brat. Where do you think you're going?"

The little girl turned slowly and glanced at the woman glaring at her.

"I need to go to school, Aunt. I'm going to be late."

"Late, huh?" her aunt sneered. "And that was your fault, wasn't it? You messed up doing the laundry this morning."

"I'll do the laundry again when I get back, Aunty," the little girl pleaded. "I need to go now."

"Oh no, you don't."

The woman pulled the girl back into the room and hit her sharply on the head.

"You're not leaving till you do the laundry and make rice for breakfast. You think just because your mother died you can live off me for free?"

The little girl's eyes filled with tears and her mouth opened in a silent sob, but previous beatings had taught her not to make a sound and just do whatever her aunt wanted her to.

The girl went back to the kitchen and started preparing the meal.

Her aunt's comments followed her through the door.

"She thinks she's better than us because she goes to school."

The girl glanced at the clock. She knew she was going to be late for school, again.

"Walks around all the time clutching her mother's old scarf, what a baby!"

She grabbed some dishes and set them on the table.

"If it weren't for the insurance money, I would have thrown you out a long time ago."

By the time she finished the laundry, she was already an hour late. She did her best to run to school, but she knew that she was going to be in big trouble.

She paused outside the classroom door, but her teacher's screeching voice was loud enough to be heard in the hallway. She gulped and slowly pulled the door open, tentatively stepping into the classroom.

"Ji Eun Tak. So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence, eh?" her teacher snickered and the class laughed along with her.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Eun Tak whispered, bowing deeply.

"Well, this isn't the first time you're late, is it? Can't you even come to school on time? When will you learn?" the teacher ranted.

"Well, go to your seat," she finally said. "You're holding up the entire class."

Eun Tak hurried down the aisle and as she pulled her bag off of her shoulder, her teacher spoke up once again.

"I'm guessing you didn't bring your homework today, either?"

A solitary tear slipped down her face. She quickly sat down as her face blushed with shame and the laughter of her classmates echoed around her once again. She looked out the window as she tried to contain her tears and she sees a flash of white as a butterfly flits by.

(10 Years Later)

A sleek, silver car pulled up to the curb of the school. Parents and students alike turning to take a look at the man driving the slick convertible. Kim Shin adjusted the rearview mirror, tugged a hand through his curly hair and winked at a school girl walking by.

The younger man glanced around, "Uncle, they're staring again," he turned to his uncle and caught him waving to people as they walked by.

"Uncle, stop it, honestly."

The older man chuckled. "I can't help it, Deok Hwa. I'm just so irresistable."

Deok Hwa growled. "If you keep this up, I will walk to school."

Kim Shin just continued chuckling. "Have a good day at school."

Deok Hwa stared at his uncle with parts confusion and affection. His uncle was not even thirty yet, but his face was lined with laugh and worry lines. He was the type of person who still looked sad when they smiled, but looked like he was truly happy when he laughed. He was a good uncle, overall, Deok Hwa realized. Maybe a bit too popular with his classmates, but not too bad.

The younger man sighed and pulled his bag onto his shoulder, waving good-bye as he climbed out of the door.

As he turns away from the car he spots a familiar face. He leans against the closed car door, "Oh, there's Ji Eun Tak," he said.

"Who?" his uncle asked.

"A girl from my class. She's my partner for that project we're doing," Deok Hwa replied, leaning into the car.

"Oh, don't forget," Kim Shin said as he put on a pair of sunglasses. "Your grandfather has a meeting today he wants you to attend."

Deok Hwa groaned. "Another one? What's the subject this time? The chicken isn't chicken-y enough? The ice cream isn't cold enough? The tiles aren't shiny enough?"

"We need more workers," Kim Shin explained. "We're trying to hire more. Be there, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Deok Hwa waved good-bye again as his uncle rode off and turned around to walk into the school.

I don't know why this school has so many stairs, Deok Hwa thought, didn't they do enough exercise already? Maybe he should talk to the principal about it, then Deok Hwa shrugged. Well, it wasn't like the principal would do anything about it. He had tried to convince the principal to take the students on an international field trip to Canada, but that hadn't worked either. Principles. Why couldn't they just do their jobs and listen to what the students wanted them to do? He was a third generation chaebol, but obviously that didn't get him any respect around here.

Deok Hwa glanced up from his reverie and noticed Ji Eun Tak.

"Hey, Ji Eun Tak!" he strode up to the girl he had seen earlier. "Happy birthday!"

She turned around, surprised, and gave Deok Hwa a tentative, shy smile. "Thank you."  
"What would you like as a birthday gift? Candy? Money? A date with me?" Deok Hwa asked as they walked into the school together.

Eun Tak laughed. "I'm good, Deok Hwa. What I really want is a part-time job, think you can get one for me?"

Deok Hwa stopped and glanced at her. "Actually, I think I can."

* * *

 **I too have fallen prey to the drama madness, and so, here is my first ever drama fanfiction. I'll be posting regularily soon, but I decided to go ahead and post this one to test the waters. I hope you guys enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Kim Shin?"

The young man sitting at the counter turned to face the speaker. He was an old man with a gnarled face, the wrinkles accentuating his twinkling eyes.

Kim Shin set down the papers in his hands and smiled.

"Chairman, you're early! There's still two hours till the meeting."

"Ah," the old man laughed. "I wanted to sit and have a cup of coffee with you. It's been so long since we've talked."

Kim Shin laughed, his entire face lighting up. "Then please take a seat. I'll prepare the usual for you."

Chairman Yoo chuckled as he took a seat behind the counter. He glanced around the cafe. It had been started by Kim Shin five years ago, and it had grown and was now a prosperous restaurant. Sunlight streamed in through the glass walls and fell on the square tables set around the room Bowls holding small goldfish were set as centerpieces. Chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, the flames of the candles flickering and dancing. Flowers were held in delicate vases made of spun glass. Teacups and books adorned wooden bookshelves around the room, and tiny ships in glass bottles gleamed from their perch high up on the shelves.

Chairman Yoo glanced at Kim Shin again. He was focused on adding the milk to the coffee, then a spoonful of sugar, a tuneless song on his lips. He poured it into a glass mug in one swell swoop, and set it in front of the Chairman on the worn wooden counter.

"Thank you, Kim Shin," Chairman said, smiling. "Ah, and there's Secretary Kim, right on time."

A man pulled open the door to the restaurant and strode in towards the Chairman. He bowed politely to him and Kim Shin, and took a seat.

"I'm not late, am I?" he asked, adjusting the lapels of his suit.

"You know you're not," the Chairman said, chuckling. "There's still two hours till the meeting."

Secretary Kim also laughed. "I passed Deok Hwa on the way here. He's coming with a girl."

"A girl?" Kim Shin asked. "Has he finally got a date?"

"Has who got a date?" Kim Shin's sister stepped out from the back room and walked towards them.

"Oh, Deok Hwa's coming here with a girl, Sunny," Kim Shin said, with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, my!" Kim Seun laughed. She was an elegant girl of twenty-two, fresh from university abroad with a bachelor's in business. She was helping out Kim Shin for a while, as she prepared to start her own business.

"Don't tease him, alright?"

"But it's so fun to tease him!"

l\i/l\i/l

As Eun Tak walked down the busy sidewalk with Deok Hwa, she couldn't help but notice that the neighborhood was slowly becoming grander. It was obvious that they were traveling into the upper-class side of the city, and it didn't surprise her.

Deok Hwa halted suddenly. "Here we are! My uncle's cafe."

It was a glass-walled shop, adorned with tiny fairy lights and had pots of buckwheat flowers carefully arranged outside the store. A forest green awning stretched over the entrance, and Eun Tak craned her neck to read the letters stitched on it in gold thread.

"'Heaven?' That's its name?" she asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, it was uncle's idea. No one knows why he named it that," Deok Hwa explained.

"It's not a bad name," Eun Tak responded, tugging at her ponytail. "It's very unique."

"What if he doesn't like me? What if I don't get the job?"

"It'll be all right." Deok Hwa smiled at her and pulled open the door. "Here, go ahead."

Eun Tak glanced around the cafe. It wasn't very big but it was furnished wonderfully. She glanced down at the smooth marble tiles and turned to Deok Hwa.

"This place is nice!"

"Isn't it?" he responded. "I don't know how Uncle has all the money to do this, but he keeps his place really nice."

She glanced around some more and was quite intimidated by the number of people that were bustling around. Men and women sat around the room in various arrangements and the cafe was near to full.

"So... What should I do?" she asked Deok Hwa.

"Oh, well, why don't you have a seat at a table? I'll go talk to my uncle."

The long wooden bench table near the windows was vacant and she nabbed a seat near the corner of the room. She pulled out the seat and sat down, sighing heavily. She plopped her head down onto her folded arms on the table.

"I really hope I get this job," she said.

l\i/l\i/l

Deok Hwa hurried over to the counter and looked for Kim Shin.

"Oh no," he groaned. "Grandpa and Secretary Kim are here too."

He slowed down but it was too late, they had been watching him and Eun Tak since they had come in, and now they were laughing and beckoning him over.

He walked over quickly and bowed slightly. "Grandpa, Uncle, Secretary Kim, I have come to make a request."

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Kim Seun teased with a smile.

"Oh, sorry, Aunty, I didn't see you." Deok Hwa stood up straight then bowed again. "I'm begging all of you for a favor."

"Yes?" His grandfather asked gently,"Does it have anything to do with that girl you came in with?"

"Maybe," Deok Hwa muttered.

Kim Shin lifted his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something.

"Okay, fine it does." Deok Hwa broke down, looking desperate, "She's a friend, it's her birthday, and I asked her what she wanted as a gift, and I might have, kind of, maybe, promised her a job here?".

"A job here?" Kim Shin straightened up from leaning on the counter, his eyebrows raised and his mouth gaping open in surprise."Why here?"

"Well, I knew you wanted workers," Deok Hwa replied. "Please, Uncle, she's a nice person. She could really use this job."

"But I don't hire high schoolers," Kim Shin tried to explain to them, snapping his towel back and forth in his hands.

"That's true," Chairman Yoo rumbled. "We have to keep up a good standard here."

"I think you should give her a chance!" Sunny protested. "We should see if she can do the job."

"Please, Uncle!" Deok Hwa pleaded. "She has it really bad at home, and she could really use the job."

"Oh, boo," Kim Shin exclaimed. "Everyone has it bad, that doesn't mean you should give a job to anyone who asks."

"Why don't you speak with her, Kim Shin?" Secretary Kim suggested. "Just tell her that you don't hire high schoolers."

"I suppose so." Kim Shin sighed, then stretched and threw his towel over his shoulder. "But that's so much work."

"You're just lazy, Uncle," Deok Hwa interjected. "Just go talk to her."

Kim Shin groaned again and slowly came out from behind the countertop. "Can't Sunny do it?"

"No, Uncle," Deok Hwa said, giving Kim Shin a little shove towards Eun Tak. "Go talk to her."

Kim Shin shot one last miffed look at Deok Hwa and turned to walk towards the girl. She looked nervous, he was glad to see, and she was tugging on the bright red scarf around her neck. Where had he seen a scarf like that before?

Kim Shin glanced at the girl again and sighed.

l\i/l\i/l

Eun Tak glanced around the store some more and tugged on her red scarf. Deok Hwa had been talking to the people in the front of the cafe for a while now. The old man she assumed was his uncle was laughing, as were the men around him.

Eun Tak glanced out the window and sighed. She really hoped she got this job. She glanced down at the table again and noticed a candle that had been set in a small teacup, the flame dancing erratically as it neared the end of the wick. When she leaned down to watch it, it flared up quickly,

"Oh!" she exclaimed. The flame had grazed her nose.

Rubbing her nose, she frowned at the candle and blew it out quickly.

"How may I help you today?" Kim Shin popped up by her elbow.

"Oh!" Eun Tak exclaimed again, placing a hand on her heart. "You scared me!"

"Sorry about that," Kim Shin replied in a monotone voice, but he didn't look very sorry. "What would you like to order?"

"Oh, I'm not here to buy anything-" Eun Tak began.

"Loiterers are not permitted in the store," Kim Shin stated, with an expressionless face. He handed her a menu card.

Eun Tak looked offended but she continued in a civil voice, without glancing at the menu.

"Then I guess I'll have a coffee, plain. But I just want to speak with the owner for a minute. I'm friends with his nephew, Deok Hwa."

"Good for you," Kim Shin replied, then smoothly slid a coaster in front of her and slipped the menu out of her hands. "Your coffee will be ready in a minute."

Eun Tak stared at his back in disbelief as he walked away from her.

"That is the rudest man I have ever met!" she seethed. "This job better be worth it!"

She watched as the man walked behind the counter and prepared her coffee. He exchanged a few words with the other men there and laughed.

"He's not that bad looking when he laughs, though," Eun Tak mused, then caught herself. "But he had been so rude to her! And he had to be at least thirty years old."

He started walking back towards her and Eun Tak schooled her now smiling face to look stern.

He arrived at her table and set her coffee on the coaster, then turned towards her. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Eun Tak answered. "I'd like to speak with the owner, would that be possible?"

Kim Shin laughed. "He is a little busy right now, but I can take a message."

"Well," Eun Tak said, softly. "I'm here to apply for a job."

"We don't hire high schoolers," he replied firmly.  
"Why do you think I'm in high school?" Eun Tak accused, "I could just look like a high schooler."

"You're wearing a high school uniform," Kim Shin explained patiently, trying to hide a smile."And you said you were friends with Deok Hwa."

"Well," Eun Tak mumbled. "Please just tell your boss."

"I will, but you're not going to be hired anyway," he replied, turning to walk away.

"How would you know?" she retorted. "You're just a waiter. And not even a good one!" She picked up the coffee he had placed before her, "And this coffee isn't even warm!"

Eun Tak watched as his face went hard and he took the cup quickly from her. She watched as the liquid in the cup started bubbling, then boiling, as he glared at her all the while. Was that her imagination or did flames just come out of his hand just now?

"Hot enough for you?" With a last contemptuous glance, he swept away to the front of the store.

"What?" she touched the cup and snatched it back, glanced down at her reddening fingertips.

"How is it so hot?" Steam wafted up from the now boiling hot coffee.

l\i/l\i/l

Kim Shin walked up to the front of the cafe quickly, cursing himself for losing it. Everyone was watching him with amusement.

"You lost your cool, huh, Uncle?" Deok Hwa asked.

Kim Shin glared at him and went behind the counter.

"Things got really heated up, huh?" Deok Hwa asked again, and Chairman Yoo burst out laughing.

"Not funny, Deok Hwa," Kim Shin tried to say, but then Sunny broke down laughing.

"Flames came out of your hand!" she said, gleefully,"That poor girl must be so shocked!"

"You probably scared her," Deok Hwa said, sadly. "Now what is she doesn't want to be friends with me anymore because of my creepy uncle?"

"Wait a minute," Kim Shin said, suddenly. "Aren't you and Secretary Kim surprised, Deok Hwa?"

"Me?"

"Why would we be?" Secretary Kim asked.

"Uh," Kim Shin paused.

"Oh, about you shooting out flames from your hands?" Deok Hwa laughed. "Uncle, I've known you have strange powers for a long time now."

"As have I," Secretary Kim calmly stated. "I am a secretary. I observe. I observed that you did strange things for a long time, but I decided to keep silent about it."

"Oppa, you are terrible at keeping secrets," Sunny laughed. Then she straightened her shirt, "How do I look? Do I look nice and professional?"

Kim Shin glanced at her simple black skirt and silky crimson shirt. "You do, but where are you going?"

"There's a seminar on farming in the city that I want to attend," Sunny said, brushing her hair onto her shoulder.

"On farming?" Deok Hwa asked.

"Sunny, we don't have a farm," Kim Shin said, chuckling.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "It's a good way to build connections."

"With farmers?" Deok Hwa asked again.

"I'm leaving now, goodbye everyone," Sunny said, smiling.

And with a last smile to everyone, she walked out of the store, stopping briefly to hold the door open for a couple walking in.

The couple took a seat at a table next to where Eun Tak was. The others watched as she got up and started walking towards them.

"What is she doing?" Deok Hwa asked.

She bowed to them politely and talked with a bright smile on her face. Then she started walking towards them.

"Can I have a menu, please?" she asked when she got to the counter.

"What?" Kim Shin asked, perturbed.

"They're ready to order," Eun Tak explained, patiently. "I'm going to take their order, and for that, I need a menu."

"And why should I give one to you?" Kim Shin asked, smirking. "You don't work here, kid."

"Just give me a chance," she pleaded. "Just let me take one order, then you can decide whether or not to hire me."

"I already decided." Kim Shin scoffed.

But then Chairman Yoo broke in. "Give her a chance, Kim Shin."

"Yeah," Deok Hwa agreed. "Give her a chance."

"All right, fine," Kim Shin acquiesced, exasperated. "But only one, all right?"

"Thank you so much!" Eun Tak surprised him with the intensity of her smile. "I won't let you down."

She eagerly grabbed the menu that Kim Shin held out and hurried back to the couple. Kim Shin watched carefully as she interacted with them. She did have nice customer skills, the man and woman looked happy and relaxed.

"She looks like a natural waitress." Deok Hwa voiced Kim Shin's thoughts.  
"Really?" Kim Shin asked, trying to hide a smile. "And how would you know?"

"I know these things, Uncle," Deok Hwa confidently replied.

"Well, in that case," Secretary Kim spoke up. "How about we hire Deok Hwa as a waiter while we're at it and just cancel the meeting? We'll have two new waiters, won't that be enough for now, Kim Shin?"

Deok Hwa stared in surprise as his uncle and grandfather both smiled.

"That sounds like a great idea," his grandfather said. "I don't know why I didn't think of that."

"Yes, it's wonderful," Kim Shin agreed. "I'm sure Deok Hwa will love working here with me."

"Of course," Deok Hwa affirmed, weakly. "This will be wonderful."

"Excuse me?" Eun Tak was back at the counter again. "I have their orders."

"All right, what is it?" Kim Shin asked her.

"Two caramel coffees, one with extra whipped cream and the other with extra caramel, and two slices of the raspberry chocolate cheesecake," Eun Tak replied.

"I'll get the coffee," Kim Shin said, opening the division to get behind the counter. "Get the cheesecake yourself."

"Okay," Eun Tak replied, hurrying behind the counter. She glanced at the rows of beautiful desserts lined up in their glass thrones. Glistening fruit and shining chocolate decorated everything from pastries to cookies to cakes.

She spied the cheesecake and opened the case smoothly, using a pair of tongs to lift out two slices. She carefully set them on the plate Kim Shin handed her and placed them on the counter.

"Place everything on a tray," Kim Shin told her, pointing to a stack of them. "That'll be easier than making two trips."

Nodding, Eun Tak grabbed a tray and lined up everything on it. The coffees with fluffy white peaks, one drizzled with chocolate, and the scrumptious raspberry cheesecakes.

"Don't forget the spoons," Deok Hwa reminded her, handing her two.  
"Wow, Deok Hwa," Kim Shin teased, chuckling. "You're a natural."

Eun Tak walked away from them, smiling, and took the tray over to the couple. She set it down and gave them a beaming smile.

"Enjoy your meal!"

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait! I'll try to update every Friday now, but I have finals coming up so I can't guarantee it. Thanks for reading, and don't hesitate to leave a comment/review.**

 **Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, I really appreciate it! Also, let me know if there is anything that you would like to see in this fic in the future :)**


	3. Chapter 3

She walked back to the men at the counter and stood before them. "So? How was that?"

"Hmm," Kim Shin voiced. "Not bad."

Eun Tak smiled triumphantly.

"But we'll wait till the couple leaves," Kim Shin continued. "We'll decide then."

Eun Tak nodded, then leaned against the counter. When would the couple leave? They could sit with their with their snacks for hours!

"So..." Chairman Yoo tried to fill the silence. "I don't think you ever told us your name."

"Oh, right!" Eun Tak exclaimed. "My name is Ji Eun Tak. I'm nineteen years old and I am a senior. I am in the same class as Deok Hwa Oppa." She finished with a bow.

"Oh, I see," Chairman Yoo replied, then they all fell into silence again.

Eun Tak waited a few more minutes, then pulled out her homework from her bag. Setting her books down on a nearby table, she started working on it.

"Parametric functions, hmm," she mused. "If x is five, then what is y?"

She worked on it diligently as time passed, then Kim Shin spoke up.

"They're ready to leave. Here's the bill." Kim Shin held out the bill, and Eun Tak grasped the small slip of paper in her hand and hurried over to the couple with it.

Kim Shin watched as the couple paid it and saw them hand her a tip. Eun Tak thanked them, bowing and smiling. And Kim Shin smiled, thinking that she would be a good waitress.

Eun Tak walked back towards them as the couple left the store.

"So?" she asked. "Am I hired?"

"Yes, you are, part-timer," Kim Shin replied, and Eun Tak squealed with delight. "But you can't slack off, okay? You have to work hard."

"I will!" Eun Tak proclaimed. "I won't let you down, ahjussi!"

She bowed to the men, then started collecting her papers and pens, hurriedly putting them into her bag.

"Oh wait," she paused, glancing at the beautiful line of desserts lined up in their cases like a parade, and curiosity overcame her. "I was just wondering, who made these desserts?"

"Uncle does," Deok Hwa said, pointing to Kim Shin.

Eun Tak dropped her bag, the man who had been so rude to her? The man she thought as just a waiter, was the owner?

"This is your uncle?" Eun Tak asked softly.

"Um, yes," Deok Hwa replied. "Didn't you know?"

"No! I thought he was just the manager or something. So then, who's this?" She motioned to Chairman Yoo.

"This is my grandfather," Deok Hwa explained, then motioned to Secretary Kim. "And this is my grandfather's secretary, Secretary Kim."

"But-" Eun Tak began to protest, but stopped herself. She laughed. "I thought your uncle would be older!" She didn't know why she had assumed something like that, but she had always thought only old men and women ran successful businesses, while the young struggled to get a start.

She wondered how Deok Hwa's Uncle had done it at such a young age.

She shook her head. "I'm going to get going now. Thank you, everyone! I promise I won't let you down!" With one last bow, she hurried out of the store, the bell tinkling in her wake.

"Well, this will be interesting," Chairman Yoo said, chuckling.

Before Kim Shin could ask him what he meant, another one of their waiters hurried over.

"Sir, could you take a look at this cup?" he asked Kim Shin.

"What about it?" Kim Shin asked, taking it. He hissed in surprise. "Why is it so cold? This is a cup for hot teas, it's not meant for cold beverages."

"Yes, sir," the waiter agreed. "And I gave that customer hot tea. But when I got it after he paid the bill, it was like this. Actually, this isn't the first time this has happened."

"It's frosty." Deok Hwa spoke up. "There's actually ice on the outside!"

"Which customer was it?" Kim Shin asked the waiter.

"The man that's leaving now," the waiter replied.

"The man with the vulgar hat?" Kim Shin asked, staring at the man grimly. He felt a cold chill down his spine, but he didn't know why.

"Uh, yes, sir," the waiter agreed.

"I see," Kim Shin replied, perturbed. He glanced at the cup again.

"This will be very interesting, indeed," Chairman Yoo said seriously, staring at the young man in black who walked out of the store, a hat in his hand.

l\i/l\i/l

Eun Tak skipped down the path to her home, her heart light with happiness.

"Looks like something good happened today?" a voice drawled in her ear.

"Oh, you scared me!" Eun Tak exclaimed, jumping back. She examined the person before her: a young woman in a faded and fraying sweater. Her hair hung down messily, and a cocky grin was fixed on her face. She had lived next door to Eun Tak's aunt for as long as Eun Tak could remember, and she always greeted her on the way back from school, a broom in her hand, slowly sweeping the concrete pathway leading to their houses.

"Something good did happen, Kim No Ra," she replied. "I got a job!"

The other woman squealed. "That's great news!" Then she became serious and spoke softly. "But you better not let your aunt find out."

"Yeah," Eun Tak groaned. "I have to think of some way to hide it from her."

"Well, it's alright for now," Kim No Ra said. "Just tell her you're going to a study group or something. I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end."

"Thank you, Unni." Eun Tak smiled. "See you tomorrow!"

No Ra waved as Eun Tak climbed the stairs to her home. When Eun Tak turned around again, she was gone.

"Huh." Eun Tak shrugged, then opened the door and stepped into the house.

l\i/l\i/l

Sunny meandered down the sun-drenched road to Kim Shin's cafe, puffy clouds floating around the sky like cotton candy. Her apartment was only a hop, skip and a jump away from the cafe, and she liked to walk there every day. She glanced around at the people walking by her and smiled at a child who bumped into her.

She smoothed down her shirt and flipped her hair over her shoulders, walking forward confidently.

"Oh," she said to herself, glancing forward. "Someone's selling something on the bridge."

A stand was set up on the bridge she crossed every day to get to work. Sunny hurried forward to see what they were selling.

"Good morning," an old woman said, pointing to the things she was selling. "Wouldn't you like to buy some of these trinkets? A ring or a bracelet, perhaps?"

"Not today, ajumma," Sunny replied, kindly. "Maybe another day."

Sunny turned to walk away, but then a ring caught her eye. Small and green, made of jade, with silver flowers. She stretched out a hand slowly to grasp it but then gasped when a stranger's hand reached for it at the same time. She quickly grabbed it and showed it to the old woman.

"How much for this, ajumma?"

"For you, it's free," the old woman replied, chuckling. "That ring wants to be with you."

Slightly perplexed, Sunny glanced at the owner of the hand that had almost gotten the ring. He was dressed all in black, with a long coat and a thick scarf pulled around his neck. One hand held a black hat, while the other hand hovered over where the ring was in its box. Sunny gasped again, one hand coming to a rest delicately over her heart.

"Why are you crying?" She asked the man. "Did you want the ring that bad?"

Sunny watched as tears fell in streams down the man's face as he stared at the ring in her hand.

"Oh." The man quickly wiped away his tears. "Uh, no, I don't know."

"Do you want the ring?" Sunny asked, concerned.

"No, it's fine." He rubbed at his eyes. "I don't know what happened. I was just thinking of something else."

Sunny wasn't convinced. She looked down at the ring again, then at him. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

"Yes, I'm sure." The man smiled, weakly. "You can have it." He started to put his hat back on and walk away.

"Wait," Sunny called, suddenly. "Come back."

He turned around, looking confused, and started walking back.

"If you won't take the ring," Sunny said, resolutely. "Then I want you to have something else."

She took out a piece of paper from her bag and quickly scribbled her name and her number. Then she glanced up at the man. She hadn't introduced herself yet to him. She whipped her hair back, off of her face, and stuck out a hand to him.

"My name is Sunny."

He stared at her hand, not taking it, and Sunny felt like an awkward teenager again.

"Nice to meet you," she quickly said and withdrew her hand, embarrassed.

She waved the slip of paper in the air. "This has my name and my number."

"Oh," the man said. "Okay." He reached for it.

Sunny smiled then pulled it back, gently pressing it against her lips. She glanced down at the paper and smiled. "Perfect."

She smiled at the stranger one more time. "Here you go, mister. I expect a call soon." She handed the paper to him and started to walk away.

She waited until she was out of his earshot, then let out a celebratory squeal. That man was one of the most beautiful men Sunny had ever seen.

"I hope he gives me a call," Sunny whispered, smiling.

She was still smiling cheerfully when she pulled open the doors to her brother's cafe and stepped inside.

"Someone's in a good mood." Kim Shin spoke from behind the counter.

Sunny laughed. "I am in a good mood." But she didn't explain why. Since it was her brother, he would tease her for ages if she mentioned the stranger. She just gave him a cheeky grin as she went about taking off her coat.

She opened the division in the counter and stepped inside She headed to the back to put away her things and get ready for the day.

"Oh, don't forget." Kim Shin called from the front. "The new employee starts this afternoon. I want you to train her, okay?"

"All right," Sunny replied. "Just tell me what you want her to do around here, later."

She smiled at herself in the small mirror that hung in the staff room, and walked back into the store. It was still early morning and the city was just starting to come awake.

The warm sunlight filled the whole store with a golden hue and small huddles of people walked by occasionally.

"The morning crowd will be here soon." Kim Shin spoke up, walking towards the back of the store. "I'm going to get the food ready."

Sunny nodded her assent.

"Oh." Kim Shin stuck his head out from the door. "And could you feed the fish?"

"Yeah, sure," Sunny replied, smiling. She grabbed the fish food from under the counter and stepped out from behind it to feed the goldfish.

She was about halfway done, bent down over a table and shaking the fish food tin, when the store's bell rang and a person stepped inside.

"Welcome to the store." Sunny stood up straight and bowed. In stepped a man in a black coat, a thick scarf pulled around his neck. A curly fringe of hair hung over his forehead, and bright brown eyes scanned the cafe. It was the strange man from earlier! And from the startled expression on his face, he hadn't expected to see her there, either.

"I didn't know you worked here." The man spoke quickly, noticing her surprise. "I wasn't following you or anything."

"Oh, I know," Sunny replied, smiling. "This place is my brother's. Why don't you have a seat?" She motioned around the empty cafe. "You can have your pick of the seats, you're the first customer of the day."

The man smiled back and took a seat at one of the tables near the windows. Sunny beamed at him and handed him a menu. "I'll be back in a little bit to take your order."

"Unni, you didn't need to take his order," one of their waitresses, Seung Hyun, said to Sunny as she walked up to the counter "I could have done it."

Sunny chuckled. "I know, but I wanted to."

"Oh." The waitress smiled knowingly, the dimples in her cheeks showing. "I see."

Sunny chuckled again and glanced back at the man. He had been watching them with a warm smile on his face, but he glanced away when she looked back at him, staring out the window instead.

"He's very handsome." the waitress spoke up again.

"Who is?" Kim Shin came out from the back room. "Me?"

"Not you, Oraboni," Sunny snickered. "That man sitting over there."

"Who?" Kim Shin asked again.

"That man," Sunny gestured to the stranger. "The only person here at the moment?"

"That man?" Kim Shin asked, shocked, as he stared at the man. The dark hair, the thick scarf, and the vulgar hat that was sitting on the table next to his elbow. "That's the man I was telling you about yesterday."

"Who?" Sunny asked, glancing at the stranger again. "The one with the frosty cup? But he seems so normal."

Kim Shin stared at him. "I don't like it, I think he looks crazy."

"Oraboni!" Sunny smacked his arm gently. "He looks completely sane. I think you're overreacting."

"Ahhh.." Kim Shin sighed. "Listen to your elders. That guy looks like trouble."

"I don't think so," Sunny replied, obstinately.

"Me too," the waitress piped. "I think he's the most handsome man I have ever seen."

Kim Shin looked shocked. "Are you saying he's more handsome than I am?"

Sunny chuckled and decided to leave them to their argument. She walked up to the stranger and reached out to take the menu from him.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked.

"Yes, I am." He smiled back. "A caramel frappe and a blueberry muffin, please."

"Coming right up," Sunny replied, cheerfully. "Please wait a few minutes."

She hurried back to the counter.

"One caramel frappe, Seung Hyun," she said to the waitress. "I'll get the muffin."

Kim Shin was still staring at the stranger, grumpily.

"Mark my words," he said, slowly. "There's something strange about that guy."

"Don't be silly." Sunny set the frappe and the muffin down on a serving tray as Kim Shin opened up the division for her to pass.

She walked quickly back to the man and set the tray in front of him. She placed the frappe in on the table, calmly, and did the same with the muffin. Holding the tray at her side, she spoke again.

"Would you like anything else?"

Sunny gazed at the stranger. She noticed the way his forehead was furrowed as if he was thinking intently about something, his curly hair nearly covering his bright eyes and the remnants of teardrops that still sparkled on his eyelashes like early morning dew. His hands were restless in his lap, but his face looked calm and his eyes clear. He opened his mouth to say something, and Sunny tried to stop admiring him and focus on what he was saying to her.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" He asked with a smile.

Sunny froze.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one should be done by next Friday :D**


	4. Chapter 4

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" He suddenly said with a smile, and Sunny froze.

The stranger watched Sunny intently. Suddenly, images started flashing before his eyes. His eyes filled with tears again as he clutched at his heart frantically.

"Are you alright?" Sunny cried, reaching for his arms.

 _A girl is walking down the road, hand-in-hand with her mother. She is laughing at something the mother is saying. Something slips out of her hand and rolls to a stop at his feet. He picks it up from the sidewalk and holds it in the palm of his hand. A ring?_

"Here, have some water," Sunny urged him, holding a glass to his lips as weak moans and gurgles escaped from them.

 _He is in a dark room, thin streams of light from the small windows struggling to illuminate it. A tall man in a suit is speaking to him, firmly._

 _"_ _You must watch them, Wang Yeo. You must watch them live. Then, you must watch them die."_

 _He had a feeling of fear and... excitement?_

"What happened?" The man standing next to Sunny asks, and Wang Yeo sees him through the thick haze that seems to be covering his eyes.

"I don't know," Sunny replied, slightly frantically. "He was fine a minute ago!"

"Let me check his pulse," the man said and grabbed Wang Yeo's arm. He put his first and second fingers on his wrist and Wang Yeo felt a slow spread of warmth through his entire body. He felt the haze clear from his eyes and he stood up, trembling as he shook off the man's hand. Or, he tried to, as the world slowly faded to black and Sunny's worried voice echoed in his mind.

He woke a minute later to someone shaking his shoulders erratically.

"Whoa," Wang Yeo said, sitting up. "What's going on?"

He rubbed a hand across his eye. He felt like he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"You fainted," the man said, nervously. "Then you woke up when I shook you."

Wang Yeo stood up, stumbling and catching himself on the edge of the table. They had laid him down on one of the long benches by the window and had taken off his coat. It was now lying forlornly on the table, crumpled into a ball.

He grabbed it with one hand and used the other to support himself as he took a few steps.

"Do you want to rest a little before leaving?" Sunny asked. "I can take you to the hospital if you still feel sick."

"No," Wang Yeo said, abruptly, coming to a stop. "I'm fine."

He started off towards the door, then turned around. "But thank you." He smiled weakly at Sunny.

Sunny tried to smile back without blushing. "You're welcome."

Kim Shin watched all of this with a frown on his face and snapped the towel he had on to his shoulder.

"Hmph," he said, grumpily, then walked back towards the counter.

Sunny watched as Wang Yeo walked out of the store, still a little bit shakily, but confidently. She sat down in a nearby chair and stuck a hand under her chin, looking deliriously happy.

Kim Shin watched her from the front of the store but didn't say anything. He stepped into the back of the store again, and Sunny started at the loud close of the door.

"What happened to him?" Sunny muttered.

l\i/l\i/l

Eun Tak glanced around the bustling cafe from behind the cash register. So far, her first day of work was going great. She leaned against the counter and let out a satisfied sigh. Things were exactly like she wanted.

She watched as the cafe's door swung open, the cheerful tinkling of the bell lost among the din of the crowd. One of the waitresses, she didn't know which one, bowed politely to welcome the customer. A tall man in a dark coat, with a scarf lying loosely around in his neck and a fringe of hair falling over his forehead, nearly covering his eyes. He was also quite handsome.

"Oh!" Eun Tak murmured. "He's coming over here."

The man was walking straight towards her and soon came to a stop before her. She glanced at his face. He looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

"Good evening," she said, cheerfully. "How may I help you today?"

"I, uh," the man began softly. "I came to the store this morning, but I left without paying. I'm here to do that now."

She paused for a few moments, she wasn't sure what to do here. She finally spoke.

"I'm actually new here, so I'll just go talk to the owner for a minute. I'll be back soon." She smiled reassuringly at the customer and headed to the back of the store.

She found Kim Shin hunched over a table in the back with a pen in his hand and a stack of papers in front of him.

"What are you going here?" he asked her, his brows furrowed. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"I had a question about one of the customers," Eun Tak said, wringing her hands.

"What is it?" Kim Shin asked quickly, sitting up straight in his seat. "Did someone behave inappropriately or anything-"

"No, no!" she broke in quickly. "Nothing like that! This guy just came in and said he didn't pay for something he bought in the morning, and he wanted to do it now."

"Oh, is that all," Kim Shin slunk down in his seat again. "He bought a blueberry muffin and a caramel frappe in the morning. Just have him pay for it and then send him away."

"Okay," Eun Tak replied, then started to turn around to walk away.

"Wait," he said. "Is Sunny there?"

"Oh." Eun Tak turned back around. "No, Sunny-ssi left for a seminar after giving me a few instructions."

"Another seminar?" he asked, frustration and confusion showing on his face. "What's with all these seminars lately?"

"Uh, I'm not sure?" she replied. "I'm going to go back to work now." She hurried back to the front of the store to find the man still standing there, patiently.

"Sorry for the wait," Eun Tak began. "The owner says you can just pay for the items now, it'll be fine. Blueberry muffin and a caramel frappe, right?" she began tapping buttons on the ordering machine.

"Yes, but actually," the man spoke. "I changed my mind, I'd like to order something else now, too."

"Oh!" she said. "No problem, why don't you take a seat? I'll come by with a menu."

"All right," the man agreed with a warm smile and started walking towards one of the tables near the window.

Eun Tak reached underneath the counter for a menu and hurried over to where he was seated. After giving him the menu and saying that she would be back to get his order, she hurried to the back of the store again to update Kim Shin.

She burst into the room, surprising Kim Shin. "The man isn't leaving."

"What?" He looked up from his papers. "Is he refusing to leave?"

"Oh, no," she responded. "I didn't mean it like that. He's staying to order something, I just gave him a menu."

"What?" He groaned. "Well, maybe he'll leave before Sunny gets back."

"Why don't you like him?"

"What makes you think I don't like him?" Kim Shin evaded her question, slinking down in his chair and sprawling his legs out instead.

"Uh, I don't know," she replied, grinning. "Maybe just this?" She gestured to him.

"You just gestured to all of me," he drawled. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Just go give him what he wants and get him out of here."

She didn't go.

"I got it!" she cried. "He likes Sunny-ssi, doesn't he? That's why he's sticking around. And that's why you don't want him to stick around!" She pointed a triumphant finger at Kim Shin.

He just sighed. "I'm not going to pay you to just stand around like this. If you don't leave right this minute, I won't pay you today's salary."

"You can't do that," she replied. "That's a violation of the labor laws."

Kim Shin made a juvenile face at her and returned to staring at his papers.

"Oh, very mature," Eun Tak responded, and smartly turned around and walked into the door frame.

Kim Shin's laughter boomed in her ears as she walked back to the cash register with burning cheeks.

Seeing the man waiting patiently at his table, she opened up the counter division and hurried to go take his order.

"One hot coffee, please," the man said, handing her the menu.

"Okay." Eun Tak wrote it down on her notebook quickly. "Will that be all for now?"

"Yes," the man replied. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Eun Tak replied, beaming. "I'll be back with your coffee in a minute."

She walked back to the front of the store. She had just brewed some coffee, so he wouldn't have to wait long.

She poured some into a small porcelain cup, leaving some space for the cream and sugar. She set the cup onto a tray and grabbed a small pitcher of cream. She took the bowl of sugar and set that, along with a spoon, onto the tray.

She lifted the tray up and stepped out from behind the counter towards him. She concentrated on walking smoothly, trying not to spill the coffee. She got to the man's table, set the tray down gently, and lifted the cup up from the tray. She set it down in front of him on a coaster.

She had heard from Sunny that Kim Shin was very particular about their wooden tables.

"Thank you," the man said, beaming.

"You're welcome," Eun Tak beamed back and walked back to the front of the store.

She noted with surprise that Kim Shin was standing behind the register, ringing a customer up. He gave a wide smile to the customer and she felt herself smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Eun Tak asked him when she got closer.

"Making sure he'll leave," Kim Shin replied, nonchalantly.

She laughed. "Why don't you like him?"

"I never said I don't like him," he responded with a straight face. "I just wouldn't mind if he left the store and never came back."

"But I want to know why," she said, again. "Why don't you like him?"

"I can't explain it." His brows furrowed in concentration. "Why are kids afraid of the dark?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I was never afraid of the dark, so I don't know."

Kim Shin glanced at her and sighed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eun Tak asked, slightly miffed.

"What is what supposed to mean?" he asked, pretending to busy himself with counting the money inside the register.

"That sigh!" she retorted. "Why did you just sigh pitifully ?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," he responded. "Anyway, I just said, I don't like him, and I wouldn't mind if he didn't come back. I wish I could just kick him out."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice suddenly said.

Eun Tak and Kim Shin started.

"Deok Hwa?"

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Where did you come from?" Kim Shin asked him, as he stood in front of them, smiling cheekily.

"I've been here for a while now," he replied, still smiling. He looked he knew a big secret that he wasn't going to tell them, and the smug smile on his face grew even bigger.

"And what do you mean, anyway," Kim Shin asked. "That you wouldn't kick him out of the store."

"Oh, you don't know, Uncle?" he replied, looking amazed. "That's Wang Yeo."

Kim Shin still looked confused.

"You know," Deok Hwa tried again. "Wang Yeo? The heir to the Wang Corporations? They own like a hundred brands and other small companies."

"That's why he looks so familiar!" cried Eun Tak. "He models for their clothing brand, Saja!"

"See," Deok Hwa said to Kim Shin. "Even your part-timer knows who he is, how do you not know?"

Kim Shin just sighed. "And how do you know this, anyway?"

Deok Hwa grinned. "I have my ways."

The door of the cafe opened slowly, and a harried-looking Sunny came inside.

"Oh, no," Kim Shin groaned. "Why is she back so early?"

"What do you mean?" Eun Tak asked.

"We're going to have a repeat of this morning's conversation." Kim Shin clutched his head. "He's going to ask her out again and this time, she'll probably say yes. I just hope he doesn't faint again."

"He asked her out?" Eun Tak asked with wide eyes.

"Then he fainted?" Deok Hwa asked, incredulously.

"Yes, and yes," Kim Shin replied, wearily.

"Sunny-ssi's walking over to his table," Eun Tak warned him.

Kim Shin groaned again as he watched his sister walk over to Wang Yeo. She was smiling as widely as he was. He stood up and pulled out a chair for her and grinned like a schoolboy as she sat down. He sat across from her and started speaking.

"I wish I could hear what they were saying," Kim Shin muttered.

"Oh, I can help," Deok Hwa volunteered. "I can read lips."

"Really?" Eun Tak asked. "How'd you learn to do that?"

Deok Hwa looked smug as he tugged on his collar.

"By watching dramas on mute while Grandfather takes his naps." He turned to face Sunny's and Wang Yeo's table. "Now, let me see what they are saying."

He stared at them for a while.

"All right, he just apologized for what happened this morning. She said it was no problem, is he all right now? He said he is fine. He asks her the same question from earlier. She is blushing, she tells him she will think about it. He asks her why. She says she doesn't want to rush into anything and she likes to take things slow." Deok Hwa stopped for a gasp of air, then continued. "He looks like understands-"

"That's enough," Kim Shin interrupted. He chuckled, ominously. "This is good, maybe she will turn him down. Or maybe we can... make her do it."

"Okay," Eun Tak said, wearily. "Now you're being a little scary."

"Oh, Uncle's always like this," Deok Hwa reassured her. "He's the weird uncle that every chaebol needs in their family. But he'll play an important part later on, like when the chaebol loses his memory, or the company goes bankrupt."

Eun Tak stared at Deok Hwa with a little bit of horror.

"You're also really weird. Is your entire family like this?"

"Well," Deok Hwa started to say. "There is great-aunt in the States who's a bit kooky, and then the-"

"Wait," Kim Shin interrupted again. "She's coming over here!"

The trio gaped as a very happy Sunny walked over to them, an equally happy-looking Wang Yeo at her side.

* * *

 **This chapter's a day early! I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment/review, I really appreciate it! The next chapter should be ready by next Friday :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Kim Shin wiped down the glasses carefully. He used the worn towel in his hand to gently soap up the beads of water until the crystal glass shone in his hands. He set them down onto the drying rack and smiled with satisfaction after each one was wiped and shined.

The store was empty. They were open for one more hour, but business was pretty much done for the day. The golden light of the setting sun streamed through the windows. The street outside the cafe was also empty, the dusky air being lit by the street lamps that were slowly coming alive.

Kim Shin looked down at the glass in his hand and sighed, he still couldn't believe what had happened earlier today. How could Sunny have done this to him?

 _Deok Hwa, Eun Tak and he watched as Sunny walked over to them, slowly followed by that creep Wang Yeo._

" _Oraboni," Sunny said, beaming. "I'm going out for a little while with Wang Yeo, here."_

" _Why?" Kim Shin asked, sternly._

" _We're going on a date," Sunny replied, surprised. "I'll see you later."_

 _She smiled in turn to all of them and turned to tug on one of Wang Yeo's hands. "Let's go," she whispered to him, quietly._

 _Kim Shin watched in shock as they walked out of the store briskly. He turned to look at Eun Tak and Deok Hwa in shock._

" _You said she said she didn't want to go out with him!" he whisper-yelled at Deok Hwa._

" _You interrupted me before I could finish!" Deok Hwa sniped. "How would I know she would say yes?"_

 _Kim Shin groaned loudly._

" _Well, she's not a child," Eun Tak spoke up, loudly. "She can take care of herself. We should just do our work."_

 _Kim Shin groaned again as he shuffled to the door leading to the back room. Eun Tak chuckled gently._

Kim Shin couldn't believe she had said yes! And she still wasn't back yet from their "date." Kim Shin glanced at the door. Maybe he should text her again. The door behind him opened, and Eun Tak hurried out to the front of the store.

"I'll just be doing some homework," she told Kim Shin, setting down the backpack in her hand onto one of the tables.

Kim Shin nodded and resumed his glass-wiping. Then things were quiet. The only noises came from the quiet scratches of Eun Tak's pencil on the paper and the gentle rubbing sound of the towel on the glasses. He turned around to put them away and opened the cupboard where they kept the rest of the nice plates and dishes.

He noticed a few still-wet-looking pieces and sighed. "Who put these away?" he muttered. "They're still wet, they'll grow mildew." He picked up the dishes and set them down on another clean towel on the counter, his back still turned to Eun Tak.

He heard the doorbell jingle as someone came in and Eun Tak got up from her seat.

"No Ra," she cried happily. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood," he heard a quiet older woman's voice reply. "I wanted to come see where you worked."

"Oh, sit down," Eun Tak said, excitedly. "Would you like to order something?"

"Oh, no," he heard her say, quickly. "I already ate. You're probably hungry, right? You should eat."

"Oh, I can't," Eun Tak replied. "I'm still on the job."

"You can eat." Kim Shin broke into their conversation, his back still turned to them. "Get something for your friend, too, part-timer. My treat."

She let out a happy squeal, then stepped behind the counter, talking all the while.

"I really wanted to try your strawberry jam rolls," she said as she came to stand beside him to grab two plates.

"I noticed," he replied, smiling slightly, not looking at her.

"Thank you." she gave him a radiant smile, and as Kim Shin finally glanced at her happy face, he felt a strange twinge in his chest.

l\i/l\i/l

"The movie was great," Sunny told Wang Yeo, cheerfully.

"It was," Wang Yeo agreed, sipping his iced tea.

They had watched a rom-com because he wasn't sure what kind of movies she liked, and he figured everyone liked a good rom-com. They were now seated at a quiet outdoor cafe, him with a peach iced tea and her with a warm cup of fragrant jasmine tea. The sky was darkening, and the cool air nipped at their noses, turning them red.

Sunny looked radiant, smiling with happiness as she drank her tea. Wang Yeo smiled back, gently. He couldn't have asked for a better first date. He had really enjoyed himself.

"So did I," Sunny replied, and he realized he had said that out loud.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, quickly. "That was weird-"

"No, it's all right," Sunny replied, laughing. "I enjoyed myself, too, it was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He swept aside the fringe covering his eyes with one hand, wanting to see Sunny's bright face clearly as he gazed at her.

She tugged at her dress as she gazed back at him, then broke the silence to clear her throat. "So, um, tell me more about yourself. Where did you grow up?"

Wang Yeo chuckled, but answered her questions willingly. "I grew up right here in Seoul. What about you?"

"I did, too," she replied. "But I went to the United States when I was fifteen and did the rest of my schooling there. I returned to Korea about a year ago."

"Oh, I see," he responded. "Did you have family there?"

"Ah, yes," she said, looking down at the table, then back at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "My parents died when I was young, so I was kind of raised by my brother, even though he was only a few years older than me. We have an aunt in the States, and she took me in while my Oraboni stayed here."

Wang Yeo gazed sympathetically back at her. "My parents died when I was young, too," he told her. "I lived with my brother and a distant family relative. My brother died when I was still young, and I left that house as soon I could."

"Oh, I see," she replied, falling silent for a brief moment. "So did you build up your company yourself?"

He was surprised, he didn't think she had known who he really was, but he answered the question anyway. "Yes, I did. I started with some modeling after I moved out when I was eighteen, and when that proved lucrative, I started my own company. It's mostly clothing, but there's also some self-care items, beauty items, and so on. "

"So you've been on your own for a while now?" Sunny asked, looking shocked. "Doesn't it get lonely?"

"Well, at the time, I didn't feel lonely," he replied, gazing at her.

Sunny, with her dark hair falling in waves around her face, and bright eyes and red lips. There was a simple strand of gold around her neck and one graceful hand under her chin, gazing back at him with wide eyes.

"But now... I think I was very lonely," he said.

l\i/l\i/l

Kim Shin tried to shake off the feeling that was growing in his chest as he worked. What was that weird twinge he had felt earlier? What did it mean? Should he go get a doctor to check it out?

"What if it's a heart attack?" he muttered out loud.

"What?" Eun Tak asked from behind him. "Did you say something?"

"No, nothing," he replied, with his back still turned to them.

The conversation between Eun Tak and the woman continued and he felt pained as Eun Tak's cheerful laughter rang out in the quiet cafe, joined by the quiet giggling of the woman.

Kim Shin turned around quickly. "Hey, tomorrow, should I make chocolate pie or-" he broke off.

There was no one sitting next to Eun Tak. He looked around the room. How was that possible? He had heard the other woman laughing seconds ago.

"Where did your friend go?" he asked Eun Tak, uneasiness growing in him.

"What do you mean?" she replied, looking surprised, the smile on her face on slowly fading. "She's sitting right there." She gestured to the empty seat across the table from her.

He stared at the chair in disbelief, then glanced at Eun Tak again.

"Listen, part-timer," he said. "There's no one there."

"Quit joking around." Eun Tak stood up, her face a mixture of discomfort and confusion.

"No, really," he insisted.

"Wait!"

Kim Shin was shocked. There before his eyes, a figure slowly faded into view. A young woman in a gray sweater, with straight hair falling like a curtain around her face, sat daintily in the chair across from Eun Tak.

"I don't get it," the woman now said, speaking to Eun Tak. "I came in here because I thought he was a ghost, too."

"'A ghost, too?'" Kim Shin cried. "You're a ghost?"

"What do you mean?" Eun Tak asked the woman. "Why did you think he was a ghost?"

"His aura didn't feel like a human's aura," the ghost explained. "So I thought he was a ghost."

"My what?" Kim Shin cried again.

"What do you mean, 'it didn't feel like a human's aura?'" Eun Tak asked again, looking more and more confused.

"It kind of felt like yours," the ghost said, nervously clutching at her hands. "Not really human, something otherworldly."

Kim Shin watched this all in amazement. He had accepted that they were ignoring him, but this was a twist that he hadn't seen coming. His part-timer wasn't... a human?

"Part-timer," he asked, directly. "You're not human?"

"I am," Eun Tak cried. "I can see ghosts. But I'm still human!"

"You can see ghosts?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

"Because that's not something you would exactly put on your resume," she replied, heatedly. "Besides, what difference would that have made?"

"Not much." He shrugged. "But I would have liked to know."

"Why?" Eun Tak asked him, confusion showing on her face. "And what about you, anyway? She said your aura didn't feel human either. What are you?"

Kim Shin stared at her. It was true, the ghost had said that, hadn't she?

"Excellent question," he said, wryly. "What am I?"

l\i/l\i/l

Sunny, once again, broke the silence between them. "So, what happened to your parents?"

"Oh, they died in a car accident," Wang Yeo replied. "I was young, I barely remember them. But once in awhile, I get a whiff of perfume, and then, I just remember some feelings. I can't remember what they looked like, but I just get these vague memories, you know?"

Sunny nodded. "Happens to me all the time. Sometimes, I think I smell my father's cologne or my mother's powder. My Oraboni laughs when I tell him, but I know he experiences it, too."

"So, how did your parents die?" Wang Yeo asked her, curiously.

"Oh." Sunny looked stricken for a minute. "Well, it wasn't a car accident." She paused for a second, as if to catch her breath. "They were murdered. By a man in a suit and his henchmen. They stormed into our restaurant one day and shot both my parents. Nearly killed my brother and me, too. The police never caught them." Tears filled her eyes, and Wang Yeo stared as they overflowed and trickled down her face.

She whimpered slightly, but continued. "They threatened to kill us, but they didn't. Sometimes, I wish they had."

She wiped her nose with one hand. "We were taken in by my family friends afterward, and they helped put me and my brother through school."

"I'm sorry," he replied, thickly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine," she assured him, quickly. "I don't know why I got so sad all of a sudden. I ruined the mood of our date, huh?"

"No, I understand, it must have been very traumatic," Wang Yeo said. "I'm very sorry."

Sunny smiled weakly through her tears. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a while. Then Sunny spoke. "We don't know what they wanted."

"Sorry?" Wang Yeo asked, shaken out of his thoughts.

"We never figured out what the murderers wanted," she explained. "At first, they wanted to buy the store from my father, but it doesn't really make sense."

"Why not?" heo asked. "Maybe they just wanted the store."

"No." Sunny leaned forward in her seat. "You see, our restaurant was very small. It was just a family-ran shop. It barely gave us enough profit to support ourselves, so why would he want it?"

Wang Yeo looked blankly at her. "Can you tell me more about your store?"

"Oh, sure," Sunny replied, surprised. "It was quaint and homely, but my mother kept it neat and orderly. My dad and my brother made the food and I would waitress, sometimes."

She paused to take a sip of her tea. "There were flowers outside the shop, aster and camellia, hanging from the awning and pots of buckwheat flowers bunched around the door."

She looked up to smile at him. "They were my mother's favorites. She said that even though they were overlooked for being ordinary, buckwheat flowers were the prettiest of all to her."

Wang Yeo looked at Sunny with growing horror. Everything she was saying, it all seemed so familiar, as if he had been there himself in the past.

Pain shot through his head, and he cried out as he clutched it.

 _A small shop tucked away on a busy street, surrounded by flowers._

" _That's the shop, Wang Yeo," a voice whispers into his ear. "Keep an eye on that place for me."_

He remembered watching the store for days, even weeks. But he couldn't remember why. He vaguely heard Sunny's voice asking him if he was okay, but he was focused on remembering what had happened.

 _He walks across the street to the shop, quickly. It's early morning and there is a slight drizzle. He pulls open the door._

 _He steps over the crushed glass and watery pools of blood and comes to stand in the center of the room._

" _Aw." His voice, young and petulant, echoes in the empty room. "I didn't get to watch them die. You promised."_

 _He turns to the doorway._

 _A man in a dark suit is standing there, smiling sinisterly. "I know, Wang Yeo, maybe next time."_

" _What about the girl?" he asks the man._

" _She's still alive," the man replies. "Why, did you really like her?"_

" _It's nothing," he replies, sulking._

Wang Yeo looks up at Sunny with horror and disgust in his eyes.

"What is it?" Sunny asked. "Are you alright?"

 _An older Wang Yeo stands in front of a mirror, tears falling out of his eyes, trembling with emotion. A ragged sob escapes his mouth._

 _He looks deep into his own eyes and speaks._

" _Forget everything," he pleads with himself, crying._

" _Forget your powers._

 _Forget what you did._

 _Forget her."_

 _He closes his eyes, a sob catching in his throat, and he sinks to the ground slowly, hot tears gushing out of his eyes._

Wang Yeo opened his eyes. He knew what he had to do.

"Are you okay?" Sunny's anxious voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was standing next to him, her face pinched with worry. "You're acting really strange."

"Sorry about that." He tried to keep his tone light. "I'm fine now. Why don't you sit back down?"

Sunny didn't look convinced, but she sat back down in her seat across from him.

"Could you look into my eyes for a minute?" he asked.

"What?" Sunny asked. "Your eyes?"

Seeing Wang Yeo's waiting expression, she continued, "Okay, sure. I guess so."

She leaned forward a little and looked into his eyes. "Now what?"

He smiled at her, gently. "I had a really great time with you today."

Sunny looked confused. "So did I... But why-."

He cut her off. "But I'd like you to forget it. I want you to forget our date and our meeting. I'm not. You're too-." He broke off, unable to finish.

Sunny sat frozen in her seat, still looking into his eyes. A tear slipped out of them as he stood up.

"Thank you," he whispered as he kissed her cheek, then disappeared into the cold night, the second time he had done such a thing to her.

* * *

 **First of all, I am very sorry for disappearing with no updates for so long! Summer classes have kept me busy, and now I'll be going to India for a month next week. Hopefully, I'll get a lot of writing done there and I'll come back with a lot of chapters. And as always, thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Wang Yeo hurried through the darkening streets. The streetlights were turning on slowly, their yellow light casting a sickly tinge to the world around them._

 _He stepped over a beggar huddled on the sidewalk, wrinkling his nose in distaste. This neighborhood really wasn't nice._

 _He saw the store in the distance, looking just like always. But he knew the true state inside; the broken glass and pools of blood. He shook his head, no. Right now, he was here to see her. He needed to apologize._

 _He hurried forward, keeping a lookout for anyone following him. He had just barely managed to escape, and only because he said he'd be back in an hour._

 _He was outside the store now, and he pulled open the door and stepped inside, nervously. He tried not to notice his hands shaking on the door handle._

 _"Oh," he murmured, surprised._

 _The store was cleaner than it was in the morning. The bodies were gone, and the broken glass was being swept up by a young girl._

 _"What are you doing here?" Her clear voice rang out._

 _He looked up. It was her. Sunny._

 _"I..." He tried to speak._

 _"Shouldn't you be at home?" she asked him. Her eyes were red and he could see the dried tears on her face._

 _"No," he replied. "I needed to see you."_

 _"Can you come back later?" she asked him, trying to smile. "I'm busy right now, I can't talk to you. There was an accident."_

 _"What happened?" he asked, even though he knew perfectly well what happened._

 _She leaned against the broom in her hand and choked back a sob._

 _"My parents are dead. They were murdered, right before my eyes."_

 _Wang Yeo swallowed the lump in his throat._

 _She shook back her hair and blinked rapidly as she tried to stop the tears from falling. "You should go home," she insisted. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."_

 _"No, wait," he protested. "I came to apologize."_

 _"What?" she asked, bewildered. "Apologize for what?"_

 _Wang Yeo looked resolutely at her, trying to hide how nervous he really was. "I know who killed your parents."_

 _"What?" her face grew brighter with hope. "Let's go to the police! You can help them catch him."_

 _"No," he responded, weakly. "He's rich and powerful, they'll never get him."_

 _"That's not true," she protested. "Besides, we'll never know until we try."_

 _"No," he said, again. "I can't."_

 _"Why not?" She stared at him blankly, her face devoid of emotion again._

 _"Because," he tried to explain. "He's my guardian... He wanted me to be here when he killed them... He told me to become your friend in school..."_

 _Sunny's eyes filled with tears and the broom in her hand clattered to the ground._

 _"What?" she whispered through her tears. "I thought you were my friend."_

 _"I am," he said, strongly. "But I couldn't stop him from killing your parents."_

 _Sunny began to shake in anger._

 _"So you came to apologize for that?" she spat out. "For being too weak to save my family?"_

 _"No," he protested, weakly. He stepped back, and tried to strengthen his voice. "That's not it."_

 _"Then what, you liar?" she screamed._

 _"I'm here to apologize for this," he said, then stepped towards her._

 _He looked straight into her eyes. "Kim Seun, please forget me. Forget everything about me, and forget what I did to you and your family."_

 _Sunny's eyes were filled with tears and her mouth opened and closed in silent speech. The fallen broom rolled across the floor slowly. Wang Yeo felt like time itself had come to a stop, but he knew it hadn't because of the tears that were flowing down Sunny's face._

 _He turned quickly, and swept out of the restaurant. The pink, sunset sky above him was giving way to the lavender hues of twilight. The streetlights suddenly looked warm and comforting compared to the vast coldness of the starry sky. Wang Yeo opened his mouth in pain as a sob caught in his throat and hot tears gushed down his cold, cold face._

Kim Shin's words hung in the air and Eun Tak stared at him, bewildered.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

Kim Shin sighed. "Your ghost friend was correct, I'm not human."

Eun Tak didn't look particularly scared or anything, so he tried again. "Don't you get it? I'm not like everybody else."

Eun Tak snorted. "I got it. But look at me, do you think I'm like everybody else, too? I can see ghosts!" she exclaimed, gesturing at herself, and then at No Ra.

Kim Shin chuckled, then Eun Tak joined in, and soon they were chortling away.

"I don't get it," No Ra said, quietly. "But I'll laugh anyway."

Their peals of laughter was still ringing throughout the cafe when Eun Tak asked, "So what are you, really?"

"Well," Kim Shin scratched his chin. "You see, it all started at my birth. My mother was in labor and my dad was rushing to get her to the hospital when the car broke down over a bridge."

Kim Shin sat down on one of the nearby chairs and motioned for them to sit too. "And boom, I was born. Then there was a knock on the car door-"

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who could that be?" Kim Shin asked, walking towards the door.

"It could be a thief," Eun Tak replied, slightly frightened.

"Since when did thieves start knocking on doors?" Kim Shin asked. "Besides, if it is a thief, you could see some of my amazing powers."

Eun Tak snorted. "Sure."

Kim Shin went over to the door slowly and tried to peek through the frosted glass panes.

"I can't see anything," he groaned. "Why did we get this type of glass on the door?"

A voice sounded from outside.

"The thief is saying something!" Eun Tak exclaimed.

Kim Shin laid one ear on the door and leaned in as close as he could. He could hear a faint voice through the wood.

"Oraboni, let me in."

"Oh, it's Sunny," he said.

He pulled open the door quickly after unlocking it. "What are you doing here at this hour?" He noticed her red eyes and her swollen face. "Did something happen on your date?"

"No, no," she protested quickly. "The date was fine."

"Then what are you doing here?".

Sunny glanced around, at him and Eun Tak standing next to him with a worried expression on her face.

She sighed. "I just left my coat here, I came to get it."

"Oh, okay," Kim Shin replied, hesitantly.

"I'll get it tomorrow," Sunny said, and ran out of the store.

"What, wait-" Kim Shin tried to stop her, but she was already halfway down the street.

"Will she be all right walking home alone?" Eun Tak asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," Kim Shin replied. "Her apartment is close by. I'm just worried about why she was crying."

"I wonder if the date didn't go well?" Eun Tak spoke aloud.

"I'll kill him if that's the case." he said, grimly.

She chuckled. "Can you continue with the story?"

"Okay, where was I?" He came to sit down on one of the chairs again.

"There was a knock on the door."

"Ah yes." He stroked his chin. "So there was a knock on the car door. My dad slowly rolled down the window to find... a grim reaper staring right at him!"

Kim Shin chuckled at the expression on her face. "I'm joking. He rolled down the window to find an old woman staring at him. He asked her if she needed anything and the woman didn't say a word."

He paused. "Now the next part is a little weird, but my dad swore that this is what exactly happened."

"What?" Eun Tak asked, excitedly. "What happened?"

Kim Shin's face grew serious "She pointed one crooked finger in my face and said, 'this boy will do great things in his life. He will be a powerful man. In the end, the one whose life he saves will be the one who leads to his ultimate demise.' And then she disappeared into the mist."

Eun Tak's mouth gaped open, and she gasped. "Really?"

Kim Shin shrugged. "I mean, that's what my dad told me."

"Wow," Eun Tak breathed, glancing at No Ra, who also looked shocked.

"What about you?" Kim Shin asked her. "Why can you see ghosts?"

Eun Tak hummed. "Well, I really don't know. My mom never had an explanation for it, she was as confused as I was."

"So when did you first realize you could see ghosts?" Kim Shin leaned forward in his chair, looking at her intently.

"Well..." Eun Tak chuckled. "When I started playing with a little girl at the neighborhood park that my mom couldn't see, we both realized that something wasn't right."

No Ra glanced at Eun Tak and smiled gently. "And now she's best friends with ghosts like me."

"What do you mean?" Kim Shin asked.

"Ghosts like No Ra, who are not able to leave our world. I try to help them, but most of the time there's nothing I can do."

"I see." He sighed. "Well, shouldn't you get going? You have school tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah." She stood up. "Goodbye then, I'll see you tomorrow."

Kim Shin held the door open as she and No Ra stepped outside into the foggy night.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Kim Shin asked her quickly, seeing how dark it was outside.

"No, it's fine." Eun Tak smiled, reassuringly. "I have No Ra to protect me."

No Ra chuckled. "Ah, yes. I can walk through them and make them cold."

"We'll be fine." Eun Tak told him, smiling again. "See you tomorrow!"

Kim Shin watched as they walked off, and soon disappeared into the thick fog.

* * *

Wang Yeo looked around himself, he had been walking for a while now, and he had no idea where he was. It looked like a very nice neighborhood, full of grand houses. In the dark night, lit by yellow streetlamps, the houses took on a sinister demeanor, and Wang Yeo shivered as he walked a little faster.

He looked ahead. Coming up in front of him was a particularly big house, built on a slight hill. Squinting slightly, he could make out the rough silhouette of a man standing in front of it.

Wang Yeo sprinted a little. Maybe the man could tell him where he was.

"Excuse me!" he called out to the man. "Could you help me?"

Hearing his voice, the man turned around and Wang Yeo stopped in front of him.

"Hi." Wang Yeo bent over, panting slightly.

"Oh, hi," the man said, and Wang Yeo looked at him closely for the first time. He wasn't a man; he was wearing a school uniform, so he had to be a high schooler.

"What are you doing here so late?" he asked Wang Yeo. "Oh, wait-" the kid paused, "Are you the man who's here to rent the house? My grandfather said a man would be coming. I've been here waiting for a while now."

"Oh, no," Wang Yeo said. "I was just passing through and I got a little lost."

"Are you sure?" the high schooler asked him. "It's a nice house. Six bedrooms, four baths, only one kitchen, but the owner is willing to share."

Wang Yeo considered it. It was a nice neighborhood, and a move might be nice for him.

"So who's the owner?" he asked the kid.

"My uncle," the high schooler smiled. "I'm just in charge of finding the right person. So, just come over tomorrow morning, and we'll have all the paperwork ready."

"All right," Wang Yeo agreed. "What was your name, again?"

"My name is Yoo Deok Hwa." He smiled and stuck out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Wang Yeo."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Eun Tak glanced around herself. Something about the dark made even familiar surroundings look sinister.

"Thanks for walking me over here, No Ra." Eun Tak smiled warmly at her friend. "I'll go the rest of the way by myself."

"All right," No Ra replied, and Eun Tak watched as she faded away.

Where she went, she didn't know, but she could always count on No Ra to pop up whenever she needed her.

She looked down the street. She was close to home but she didn't want to go inside just yet. Her aunt and cousins were probably still awake and she'd rather creep in after they went to bed so she didn't have to get into yet another argument with them.

She walked over to the house slowly, breathing in the crisp, night air. The streetlights shone feebly through the thickening fog, and the fireflies that were floating around were blinking rapidly at each other.

She took a seat on the steps of the house and listened to the noise from inside. She must have dozed off at some point, and woke when a few drizzles of cool rain fell on her.

She shivered from the cold. There was silence coming from inside, and she hoped they had fallen asleep by now. She took out her house key and gently opened the front door, hoping they wouldn't wake. After quietly tip-toeing to her room, she gently closed the door. Going through her nighttime routines quickly, she pulled on her pajamas and crawled into bed.

The blankets were cool but they warmed her quickly, and she was asleep in seconds. She didn't even know when the dreams started.

 _A woman and a man were sitting on a couch in front of a TV. It was a tastefully decorated house: the walls featured many photos of the happy couple. Their wedding photos were hanging over the mantle._

" _Honey," the woman turned to the man, "I have to tell you something."_

" _Uh oh." The man chuckled. "That doesn't sound good."_

 _The woman smiled gently. "Look at me."_

 _The man turned off the TV and turned towards her. "What is it?" He looked worried now. "Did something happen?"_

 _The woman took both of his hands in her own. "You are going to be a father. I'm pregnant."_

 _The man looked dazed. "Are you serious?" He chuckled. "You're pregnant?"_

 _The woman nodded, then burst out laughing as he lifted her off her feet._

" _He's absolutely beautiful," the woman cooed as she held her newborn son in her arms. They were seated on the hospital bed, and there were blankets piled all around her. The baby was sound asleep. She pressed a kiss to his forehead._

 _Her husband wrapped his arms around her. "Yes, he is."_

 _There were tears of joy in his eyes, and the love he had for his wife and son were evident._

 _A knock sounded on the hospital door, and they both glanced up._

" _Advisor Ha!" the man said quickly and stood up. "Thank you for coming!"_

" _Thank you for inviting me." Advisor Ha smiled and held up a bright gift bag. "Some gifts for the baby."_

 _He walked over to the woman and the child and bent a little to their level. "I can see his resemblance to you, sir." He chuckled._

 _There was another knock on the door, and they all turned towards the door again. An old woman stood at the door, bent over and stooped with age. The deep wrinkles on her face looked like they were cutting into her skin._

" _Halmoni, do you need help?" The husband stepped towards her, concerned._

" _No, I do not," she said, firmly. She walked towards the baby and put one hand on his tiny forehead._

" _What are you doing?" the wife asked, but she didn't move the baby away from her._

" _Hush, I'm blessing it," the old woman said and closed her eyes. "This child will do many great things in his life. He will-"_

" _What kind of great things?" the advisor interrupted, with a strange expression on his face._

 _The old woman turned around and looked him in the face for a couple moments. "Well, that depends on your definition of great, doesn't it?"_

 _She turned back around and looked at the baby again._

" _But," she began. "There is one person who will stand in his way."_

" _Who?" The advisor interrupted her again._

" _Another child I blessed. A poor family, a baker."_

" _How is a baker going to stand in the way of this child?" The father asked, the pride visible on his face. "This child will not lack for a single thing in his life. He is my Wang Yeo, I will raise him to be a great man."_

 _The advisor chuckled._

 _The advisor and a boy stand in front of three graves. Blooming flowers stand guard in front of them, the green grass a carpet under them. One is new, the dirt freshly overturned under their feet and uncovered by grass. The soft dirt is marked with the many footprints of the mourners who came to the service._

 _Puffy clouds floated across the blue sky, racing to get away from the dark blanket gathering at the horizon. A fierce thunderstorm was sure to follow._

" _Advisor Ha," the boy asked. "Why did my dad and mom have to die and leave me alone? And now, why did my Oraboni have to leave me too?"_

 _The advisor rested a hand on the boy's head. "They were killed in accidents, Yeo. Those drivers weren't paying attention. Your family didn't want to leave you."_

 _The advisor looked at the small boy and then at the gravestones, and chuckled softly. Now his plan could finally start. With the parents and the brother out of the way, he could mold the boy into his perfect object for ultimate power._

 _It had been easy enough. Some money was slipped, and a detailed description of the parents' car was given. It had been a head on collision, and if the hired killer had happened to die in the accident too, well, it didn't really matter._

 _The brother's had been simpler: a hit and run, as he walked to the convenience store in the evening to buy some ice cream for the boy._

 _The advisor looked down at the boy again and smiled sinisterly._

Eun Tak woke up with a start. With heaving breaths, she looked around her room. In the darkness, all the shadows on her wall looked scary and alien.

She swung her feet out of the bed slowly and grabbed a water bottle off her bedside table. Taking a few gulps, she tried to relax. It had just been a bad dream.

But, she thought, that dream had seemed so real, almost as if she was looking into someone's life. She put the bottle down and nestled back into the bed.

She glanced at the wall in front of her, then suddenly bolted up on the bed. There was a man's silhouette on the wall, almost as if someone was just standing outside her window. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and she felt an indescribable panic.

She turned around slowly, even though she knew that was exactly what all the people who ended up dead in horror movies did, and looked at the window. She couldn't see anything through the curtain, and she turned around again.

The silhouette was gone.

She rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was just imagining things. She lay down again and tried to calm her racing heart. Before she knew it, her eyelids fluttered closed. When she opened them again, it was morning.

A few golden rays of light streamed in through the curtains and her room was illuminated in the pale glow of sunrise. Eun Tak pulled opened the curtains and took a glance outside. The sun was just starting to come out and the sky was streaked with scarlet and gold.

She smiled and started getting ready. Since it was a Saturday, she would go straight to work. Since it was this early, she didn't think any of her relatives were awake yet. It would be better to go while they were asleep than having to talk to them.

She pulled on a worn pair of jeans and a shirt. Grabbing a thick coat and her red scarf, she pulled open her door gently and stepped out into the hallway. To her dismay, she spotted her aunt sitting in the living room and staring at the TV, a bowl of rice in her lap.

"Where are you going, brat?" her aunt asked coldly, her eyes still stuck on away from the TV.

"I'm going out," Eun Tak said firmly and started pulling on her shoes.

The aunt looked at her in disgust. "Coming and going whenever you please. What do you think this is, a hotel?"

She straightened up. Her aunt was about to have one of her fits.

"You don't even pay me for the luxuries I give you every day," the aunt ranted.

Eun Tak snorted. What luxuries?

"And I want to know, right now," her aunt screeched again. "Where are you hiding your mom's bankbook?"

"Again with the bankbook?" Eun Tak exclaimed. "I told you, I don't know where it is. I've never even seen it."

"I know you have!" the aunt screamed. "I request a new one, and it always goes missing in a day. You're taking it and hiding it."

Eun Tak scoffed and opened the front door. She stepped outside into the nippy air and tried to calm herself.

Just another ordinary day, she thought to herself as a bowl of rice flew out the door and hit her on the head. She brushed the grains out of her hair and hurried down the path.

Once she had enough money, she would never come back here again.

She walked slowly down the road now, taking in the silence of the early morning. The sky had deepened to colors of pink and purple, and the thick clouds were illuminated by the rising sun, making them shine pink like cotton candy.

Before she knew it, she was walking towards Kim Shin's cafe. The city was coming alive, and a few early risers crossed paths with her. Some in athletic gear, power-walking on the sidewalks. A couple cyclists zipped by, leaving cool blasts of air in their wake. A couple walked dogs, and a few were pushing strollers.

She stopped in front of Kim Shin's store and exhaled sharply, her breath hanging in a cloud of fog in front of her.

She needed to cheer up.

She put a smile on her face, pulled open the door, and stepped inside. Upon seeing Kim Shin already there, and yelling at a confused Deok Hwa, her smiled turned genuine.

"Good morning! What's going on?" She walked over to them and asked.

"Oh, good morning." Kim Shin gave her a warm smile and then glared at Deok Hwa. "Someone has rented out my house, without my permission."

"What?" she asked, letting out a brief laugh. "Deok Hwa, you rented out his house?"

"And you'll never guess who he rented it too," Kim Shin continued, rubbing a hand across his face and suppressing a yawn.

"Who?" she asked, curiously.

"To that jerk, Wang Yeo!" Kim Shin burst out.

Eun Tak started laughing. "Is this a joke?"

"Imagine my surprise when he shows up at my door at six in the morning, asking about the paperwork to live there."

"And, did you give it to him?"

"I wasn't even aware there was a plan to rent my house!" Kim Shin exclaimed. "Deok Hwa showed up just then and gave him the papers. But, you know, his expression when he realized I was the owner of the house was pretty funny."

"But why did you do it, though?" Eun Tak asked Deok Hwa.

"He did it because I asked him to," a gravelly voice said from behind them.

Kim Shin turned around. "Chairman Yoo!"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone! I have a favor to ask. For my research project for my college English class, I am researching fanfiction. It would be a huge help for me if you could take a quick survey for me. This is completely anonymous, so if you could spare a couple minutes to take it that would be a huge help! :D This is the link to the survey: Remove the parenthesis: (goo).(gl)/forms/jY8Ow4YRZB4aBkI12**


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